February Newsletter – Moon Struck

Rather than a news type newsletter this month I thought I would answer a question that I am asked from time to time as to how I equate being a priest and yet publish a monthly astrology article. The answer is because although I am ordained I am not a card carrying Evangelical or any card carrying individual (except cash card!). I think for myself rather than take on board someone else’s prejudices, and the scriptures are full of verses about heavenly signs. One of the major festivals of the Christian year is all about births, stars and birth places – the Epiphany. The ‘Wise Men’ or Magi – however many there were (not mentioned in the Gospel passage) – are translated as Astrologers in the New English Bible, and the message of that story is only truly understood and its significance come to light when placed within its astrological context. If you doubt me then do read the article on our web site that elucidates.

I do not ascribe to the horoscope section of most newspapers or journals for that is surely more a matter of superstition. But it is not simply a matter of belief as to whether there is any truth in astrology for statistics certainly show there is. Dr Eugen Jonas of Czechoslovakia advocates the use of personalised lunar charts based on the woman’s time of birth as a means of contraception. The results are 98% effective – which is as good as the Pill.

Last month we had two full moons, the second (last night) being a Super Moon that looked a bit reddish as it arose as it was so close to the Earth. The two full moons happens only once in a while – hence the saying ‘once in a Blue Moon’. So in fact we had a Super Blue Blood Moon that only occurs once in a generation!

Having been a psychiatric nurse I know only too well why patients used to be called ‘lunatics’, and police records show that crimes of passion are much more likely to occur at the time of full moon. Gardeners used to use the moon as a time piece for their work (see our web site) and Dr Edson Andrews of Tallahassee makes no bones about preferring to carry out operations on the dark of the moon to avoid possible bleeding crises.

What is astounding is that over 5 years work a French statistician, Michel Gauquelin, collected information of thirty thousand people’s birth times together with their resulting career and compared that data with the position of the planets at their respective birth times. Without mentioning astrology in any shape or form he concludes “… from the time of birth it seems possible to develop a forecast of the individual’s future temperament and social behaviour.” But isn’t that exactly the same claim made by astrologers?

There are many spurious claims made by astrologers about their craft and I think the abrogation of personal responsibility stating ‘it is fated and all in the stars’ is a most dangerous position for any individual to take. However I cannot throw the baby out with the bath water and not accept the statistical evidence, and most certainly I cannot deny the scriptural authority of Matthew in the second chapter of his Gospel.